1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a load control device, an image forming apparatus, and a method of controlling a load.
2. Related Art
In the related art, a load control device is known which performs, for example, switch that turns on and off a load, such as a heater used in an image forming apparatus. For example, it is disclosed in JP-A-2002-84736 that in a heater operating on electricity from an AC power supply in a power control apparatus, temperature control is performed on the heater by intermittent control that uses a zero cross control period during which the load turns on and an idle period during which the load turns off, between the zero cross points in a power supply wave pattern. In this manner, the load is controlled by performing the switch that turns the heater on and off using the zero cross point of the AC power supply, and for example inrush electric current at the time of turning on the heater may be suppressed, in comparison to control of the load by phase control that changes a phase that turns on the heater.
Incidentally, in a case where the control by the switch that turns on and off one load is performed as disclosed in JP-A-2002-84736, when the power supply voltage fluctuates, electric currents at the time of turning on the load differ. For example, when the load turns on in a case where the power supply voltage is high, a large electric current flows, compared to a case where the power supply voltage is low. Accordingly, there occurs a problem in that a voltage drop in the power supply voltage is increased and the large electric current flows.